by Jackie Nunnery
On this Friday morning, Oz is excited but obediently heeling at the side of his trainer, Connor McNamara of CoastLine Kennels in Lancaster.
Like any well trained athlete, his gaze is intense and his muscles twitch in anticipation of the sound of the boom gun and the sight of the “duck” landing in a field. At the command—his name—he is off, running expertly to his prize in the tall grass. The retriever then dutifully returns to his trainer’s side, sits and drops the dummy into McNamara’s hand. Oz is already looking across the fields in anticipation of the next retrieve.
This type of training—a true partnership between man and dog—will happen a dozen times during the morning as McNamara takes each of the dogs through what is called hunt test training.
In addition to “marked” retrieves in which the dog sees the target fall, there are “blind” retrieves which require trust and communication between dog and handler. Again, at the command, Oz runs straight ahead until McNamara gives a short whistle. Oz immediately stops, spins around and looks directly to McNamara for his next instruction. Using hand signals….
